Heavy exchange of fire between Assam Rifles and Manipur People's Army

There was a heavy exchange of fire between insurgents of the Manipur People's Army, armed wing of the United National Liberation Front, and Assam Rifles personnel in interior Chandel district bordering Myanmar.

Official reports today said that the gunbattle yesterday between MPA insurgents and Assam Rifles personnel of the 36th battalion at Selon lasted for several hours. However, no casualty was reported.

While a spokesperson of the UNLF said the MPA insurgents inflicted heavy casualties on the security personnel, AR authorities denied it, the reports said.

The incident occured while the AR personnel were patrolling the hilly village when they were attacked by the insurgents, sources said.

UNLF chairman RK Meghen, who was arrested from Motihari district of Bihar in November, was produced before a local court in Guwahati yesterday and remanded to judicial custody till December 29, official sources said.